Life In 19x19

Alcantara? Some kind of modern plastic? Vinyl? Silicon? Brushed steel? Carbon fibre?

We need inventive, strong, light go boards that can be rolled, folded or separated into parts, and slipped inside shoulder bags and taken to the coffee shop or to the park.

I'm not saying that the boards should be crass or hard to use. They should of course be kept plain and minimalist and preferably kaya-coloured, tasteful, good quality, and anti-slip.

What's out there at the moment? Anything from China, Korea or Japan for example that we don't know about? It would be a nice fit for the set of Ing stones that, after a long time, I managed to source (much to Ed's coveting I'm sure).

Well here are some examples of different Go sets for traveling.

First the classic portable magnetic set:
https://gobutiken.se/go-spel/go-spel-ma ... -med-vaska

Full size non magnetic roll up set:
https://www.go-spiele.de/en/travel-go-set.html

Magnetic roll up set (yes you can put it on your fridge if you feel like it):
https://www.amazon.com/Magnetic-Single- ... B000JHSORK

Thanks for the links! But I'm talking about something a bit more... je ne sais quoi. This type of thing is opinion-based of course.

The Amazon link I don't think is a full-size board, the other two are full size but are sets (I'm talking about boards specifically).

Magnets aren't my bag. In my opinion, the board shouldn't be Teflon; it should help the stones stay in place from the occasional coffee shop passing-thigh mishap, yet at the same time I don't think stones should ensconce themselves. It takes something away from the experience I think.

Keep the links coming though. It's good to seek out new things.

For example, has anyone used the Surface Pro keyboard, specifically the ones that are coated in Alcantara? This is a suede-type of fabric, like half way between suede and untreated leather. This is a very cool material to make a board out of.

It would be a nice fit for the set of Ing stones that, after a long time, I managed to source

Jujube wrote: Magnets aren't my bag. In my opinion, the board shouldn't be Teflon; it should help the stones stay in place from the occasional coffee shop passing-thigh mishap, yet at the same time I don't think stones should ensconce themselves. It takes something away from the experience I think.

Well I'm not sure how you want the stones to stay in place exactly, but it sounds difficult to make the stones unmovable in any practical way if youre using regular stones.

However if youre not using regular stones there is this board I stumbled across:
https://www.go-spiele.de/en/blind-go-set.html

I guess what I'm saying is, grip. Imagine running your finger across a mat made of rubber or the kind of material that pen grips are made of. So it's not that they are unable to move, absolutely they should be able to move, after all it is a normal Go board.

But if you were to pick the board up and lean it by 15 degrees, or if you were to knock the board, then it would be more resistant to disaster than if you were to have a board made of veneer.

Which indicates that the ideal material would be silicon, apart from the fact that I have never seen a silicon board with all the Google-fu in the world that I liked the look of, that was crease-free, and that could be used on an irregular surface.

At a US Go Congress many years ago I saw two visiting Japanese pros playing on a board made out of imitation suede leather. It was very attractive to look at, better than shiny vinyl, the material was thin enough that it could be rolled up or folded, it held its shape and didn't crease when folded, and the suede surface held the stones in place. The grid of lines was "official" size. I asked where I could get one like that but the pros didn't know. It had been a gift from someone in Japan. Of course the major negative of such a board is that it has to be on a table at least the size of the board. I think it might be fairly easy to get this kind of material and have the grid printed on by silk screen or inkjet print.

Back in the day when you bought a set of yunzi stones it came with a cloth board, a garish yellow color. It would be relatively easy to have a go board grid silk screen printed on cloth. The problem with that sort of board is the cloth creases and doesn't hold its shape after being folded.

I've always admired this roll-up wood chessboard:

In some ways, it might be simpler to donate a decent, full-sized go set to your local coffee shop.

might be simpler to donate a decent, full-sized go set

Yes, some stores are happy to keep a set; others may lack the capacity ( spatially or logistically ).

I like these boards. (Yes, I know, they're chess boards).

Board 1: made in Slovenia. Limited run.

Board 2: made in America. Expertly machined by the looks of things. I've seen one in person and you can't even tell it's made of 4 parts.

I guess options are limited then hmm? A shame, even the silicon mats with a Go board printed on them aren't scratching the itch. The designs are wonky, or the co-ordinates include the 'I' character and so end at 'S', or the coordinates are printed right to left instead of left to right.

If I had a woodshop or a 3d printer I'd be in there right now making the best damn travel board money could buy.

Jujube wrote: We need inventive, strong, light go boards that can be rolled, folded or separated into parts, and slipped inside shoulder bags and taken to the coffee shop or to the park.

I would be delighted to find all manner of go equipment that has been adapted to modern times: boards, bowls, stones, traveling cases. The thread’s recent image of the folded quad chess boards gets close to a practical go board format. It could be covered with your Alcatraz material or silicone. If the board were made of magnetic material, steel weights inside plastic stones (in the ING style but much thinner) would have a bit of grip while adding satisfying mass. Bowls? I’m surprised there are not 3D printed goke. A sturdy cubic box that holds square bowls, plastic weighted stones, and unfolds into a nice board could be practical and interesting. Go is a micro niche so such a cool thing might cost $1,000.

I must add, however, that I don’t care much about the aesthetics of traditional go equipment. I enjoy my shell/camphor/purpleheart set tremendously and I’m working on building a 2” maple board. But, these things don’t allow me to play any better than I every have. Truly, I can play my best 15-10kyu games using any (reasonable and practical) markers on any suitably gridded surface. And I can play without diminishing my enjoyment or damaging my sensitivities. Go is not a lifestyle or consciousness building exercise for me, it’s just a fascinating pastime. But I understand others’ skills and devotion may require or prefer a particular look and feel.

Emerging materials, new manufacturing technologies, and objective, unprejudiced industrial designers will someday provide us with new and unusual go equipment—stuff we haven’t thought of yet. We just need someone with access to unlimited funding, boundless mechanical resources, inexhaustible creative energy, and all the time in the world.

Great points! I'm all for traditional equipment, I have a brilliant Kurokigoishi set that means I'll never need another home-based Go set as long as I live, but at the same time, I praise emerging material design in such a way that could benefit the Go community in as much as expanding our reach to the public through equipment that can be durable, exciting, easy to use, and beautiful at the same time.

Hello,
We have had some goban made in neoprene in France : http://www.jeuxdumonde.com/product_info ... ts_id=7694

The printing is nice, and they can be rolled without loosing their shape. They are standard sized, but very light.

Very interesting! Does it float? You could have a game in the swimming pool, until it sinks from the weight of the stones

How is it to play on? Slippery or not bad?